Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu – known by his stage name as Bobi Wine – was born and raised in Kamwokya, one of Kampala’s most vibrant and challenging urban neighbourhoods. He rose to fame in Uganda as a musician, with music that spoke to some of the frustrations of ordinary Ugandans living under the increasingly authoritarian, four-decade-long rule of President Yoweri Museveni.
In 2017, Wine turned to politics, winning a seat in parliament. A fierce critic of the current regime, he ran for president in 2021, and again in 2026 – losing both times to incumbent Museveni, though both elections were marred by allegations of fraud, intimidation and repression. His political party, the National Unity Platform, is Uganda’s second-largest party in Parliament, after the ruling National Resistance Movement.
Wine has endured repeated arrests and detention, physical assault and torture, and some members of his entourage have been killed. In early 2026, after two months in hiding, he fled Uganda and is now in exile. Despite this, he remains committed to pursuing political change in Uganda through democratic and constitutional means.